College Football

Longhorns QB Quinn Ewers announces return to Texas for senior season

Updated Jan. 11, 2024 1:37 p.m. ET

Texas starting quarterback Quinn Ewers announced on social media Thursday that he will return to school for his senior season instead of leaving for the NFL Draft.

This is a huge coup for the Longhorns, as they can now begin life in the SEC in 2024 with an experienced quarterback under center. This, of course, also means that backup Arch Manning will have to wait in the wings just a little bit longer before becoming QB1.

This past season, Ewers led Texas to the program's first Big 12 title since 2009 and then to its first-ever appearance in the College Football Playoff. He passed for 3,479 yards (No. 15 nationally) and 22 touchdowns with just six interceptions.

Despite ending the season with a Sugar Bowl loss to Washington, coach Steve Sarkisian has created a sustainable culture that's built to last. There's no reason that the Longhorns shouldn't contend for titles moving forward. And with Ewers' decision now final, the team is in an even better position to compete immediately in its new conference.

So, what does this mean for Manning? The popular freshman drew quite the crowd at Sugar Bowl Media Day a few weeks ago, and was honest about how tough it is not to play. This past season was the first time in his life that he was the backup, having started every year for his teams since he was in the sixth grade.

"I mean, it's never fun being a backup and sitting," Manning said. "But each person's journey is different, and I'm gonna work hard and not blink an eye, and help Quinn [Ewers] be the best quarterback and try to get better along the way."

Manning said that Ewers is one of his "best friends on the team" and they always room together for games. He loves to pick Ewers' brain about things and said he admires how his teammate "doesn't let a bad drive or the media or anything get in the way of his focus."

Manning also said "I haven't looked into transferring at all," though that won't stop rumors and speculation.

Ewers' return is not a huge surprise. He entered the 2023 season as a hot name to be a Heisman Trophy candidate and a top 2024 NFL Draft pick. Neither panned out. He was impressive in Texas' 34-24 win over Alabama in Tuscaloosa in Week 2, passing for 349 yards and three touchdowns, but was inconsistent thereafter and suffered an injury in the middle of the season that sidelined him for two games.

Ewers was the former No. 1 overall recruit in the 2021 class and famously left high school early to enroll at Ohio State. He transferred to Texas, his dream school growing up, ahead of the 2022 season. After an up and down first year, Ewers dug in last offseason by getting lean, famously chopping off his mullet, and becoming a more vocal leader.

Those things paid off, and now, coming back to school means even more time spent developing under Sarkisian, the chance to play for a national championship, and improving his draft stock.

Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of "Strong Like a Woman," published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her on Twitter @LakenLitman.